13th Starlink launch success for SpaceX
October 7, 2020
By Chris Forrester
Three important rocket launches from Florida’s Space Coast were delayed over the past two weeks prompting Elon Musk, in a Tweet, to admit that further improvements will need to be made to the Falcon-9 rocket system if his SpaceX business has a chance of completing a planned 48-launch schedule in 2021.
Musk said he was planning a “broad review” of all aspects of SpaceX’s launch operations and would be visiting Florida this week to talk to staff.
Most of the recent launch problems were caused by bad weather and it was on a classic Floridian morning, at sunrise (07.29 EDT) on October 6th, that SpaceX regained control of the situation by launching a Falcon 9 into orbit carrying 60 of his broadband by satellite Starlink craft.
This 13th Starlink launch success means that Musk’s team has placed 775 satellites into orbit (although some have later failed).
Just 9 minutes after launch and the Falcon 9’s first stage made a successful landing on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ drone ships in the Atlantic. This was the 61st recovery of a Falcon’s valuable first stage since 2015.